The COAT - Round One - Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid vs Ferrari F2007

[crmalcolm]

The seventh match in Round One is a battle between two cars that have received a lot of focus due to technical matters - the Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid vs the Ferrari F2007.

Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid (grandprixhistory.org):
The 2014 Formula One season marked one of the biggest change in regulations in the sports history and the W05 is the answer to the changes from Mercedes.
The initial engineering conversations between the Formula 1 team at Brackley and the Mercedes-Benz Technology Centre in Brixworth where the engines are made around both the regulations and potential solutions date back to late 2010. Since mid-2011, when the rules for the new V6 Hybrid Power Unit were officially published, Mercedes-Benz claims that it has taken a fully integrated approach to every major performance decision with a clear-sighted focus on maximizing overall car performance.

The result is the new F1 W05 and at its heart, the PU106A Hybrid Power Unit, both designed to meet the challenge of a fundamental change in the philosophy of Formula One. The introduction of a demanding maximum race fuel allowance of just 100 kg per race, coupled with a maximum fuel flow rate of 100 kg/hour, have focused the efforts of the sport's engineers on delivering performance with a set of innovative new technologies that achieve an efficiency gain of more than 30%. This is quite an astounding figure that's been lost in complaint about the "spectacle" and more specifically the sound that the cars produce. “From a technical and also a racing perspective, this is an incredibly exciting time for Formula One” Technical Director Paddy Lowe explained. We are introducing technologies that are new not just to racing but to the wider automotive world as well. The headline is that of improved efficiency and the fact that we will be completing races with advanced Hybrid systems on just 100 kg of fuel sends a great message about the technology that Formula One can deliver. But it is also about the technology that Mercedes-Benz can develop compared with our competition, both for the chassis and the new Power Unit.

In the new jargon of Formula 1 engines have become power units. As exclusively revealed in the latest issue of Racecar Engineering where Peter Wright observes “Mercedes has split the compressor from the turbine, locating the former at the front of the engine and the latter at the rear. In between, mounted in the V, is the MGU-H being driven/driving the turbine and compressor via shafts. This arrangement allows all the cold parts and charge-air ducts to be mounted forward and the hot parts at the rear.” What Write noted has on further inspection provided many interrelated benefits.

As noted by others:

As the air is not traveling through as much pipe work, a reduction in turbo lag means less power needs to be be harvested from the car's ERS unit to keep the turbine spooled off throttle. That in turn improves the efficiency of the car, with more power reserved for performance gain and less fuel consequentially used up.

With the compressor further away from the turbine - which is spun by hot exhaust gases - the W05 has a smaller intercooler, meaning Mercedes are running with smaller sidepods which boost aerodynamic performance.
Furthermore, with the compressor in front of the engine, Mercedes have also moved their car's gearbox forward, improving its centre of gravity and therefore, in theory, its handling.

Motorsports's Mark Hughes in his technical analysis notes that "Its impact is maybe not quite as big as active-ride, but it's certainly a major technical advantage that they've engineered themselves for the rest of the season."

Other changes to the regulations impose a narrower front wing; the removal of the lower rear wing and a reduction in size of the upper wing; and a central exhaust exit, thereby negating the effect of ´exhaust blowing´ over the diffuser which contributed to performance in the past three seasons. Starting at the front of the car the Mercedes nose is perhaps the most conventional looking and perhaps least objection al amongst the current crop of cars. The rear suspension of the car is once again a pullrod layout similar to the W05. Red Bull boss Christian Horner claimed in Malaysia that his team was one second slower along the straights, with track side observers estimating that the Mercedes unit boasts anything between 50 and 70 extra horsepower over the rest of the field. Of course this would also allow Mercedes to dial in more downforce if they chose to do so.

Ferrari F2007 (f1technical.net):
The F2007 is the fifty third single-seater built by Ferrari specifically to compete in the Formula 1 World Championship. The project, known internally as the 658, represents the Scuderia's interpretation of the technical regulations that apply for 2007, with changes principally concerning safety, through the introduction of more stringent front and rear crash tests and the addition of a composite material structure to provide lateral protection to the sides of the driver. These modifications have led to a significant increase in the weight of the car, in the region of just under ten kilogrammes.

The F2007 chassis has been significantly modified when compared to the 248 F1. The design was revised to accommodate a new front suspension that represents a major conceptual innovation, mainly in terms of aerodynamics. The shape of the side-pods and their openings are also revised, based on modifications to the cooling system, which also implies exits for the radiators on the upper part of the bodywork, while the engine air intake is also substantially different. The car has a longer wheelbase than its predecessor. The rear of the car is much narrower, taking advantage of the more sculpted shape of the gearbox housing, which again this year is made from carbon fibre. The gearbox itself, which is still mounted longitudinally, is fitted with an innovative quick-shift system (seven plus reverse). The rear suspension is similar to that on the 248 F1, but a significant development programme is planned in this area, in order to get the most out of the system, based on making progress in understanding the behaviour of the 2007 tyres. The front and rear aerodynamic configuration is also expected to change considerably before the start of the World Championship. The position of the rear view mirrors seen on the 2006 car remains unchanged and the same goes for the exhaust system.

In accordance with the regulations that come into force this year, the basic structure of the engine remains the same as the one homologated at the end of last season. Therefore, the 056 engine continues as a load bearing member and is again mounted longitudinally.
As usual, during the design and development phase of the complete car, the technical partners played an important role. A significant part was played by Shell in terms of fuel and lubricants, by the Fiat Research Centre in the use of simulation systems and by Brembo in developing the braking system. As is now traditional, a great deal of attention was paid to the performance and optimisation of the materials used, to the design stage and to quality control, striving to maximise the performance level and to ensure the highest possible standard of safety.

The car proved reliable and truly fast during winter testing and immediately put Kimi Raikkonen in victory position at Melbourne, the first Grand Prix of 2007.

[S griffin]

The Merc. It was a step ahead of the rest. The F2007 was on a par with Macca that year